New headphone listening station

Doc B. · 3369

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Online Doc B.

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on: March 28, 2011, 03:10:29 PM
Spent some time this weekend getting started on a new headphone listening station at Bottleheadquarters. It's not all wired up yet. I'm working on setting up a Mac Mini that can stream off of our main server, and of course we will be able to put a tape machine into this setup as well.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline JC

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Reply #1 on: March 28, 2011, 03:41:57 PM
Great idea, and the execution is looking good, too!

So, how are the amps fed?  Do they each get their own mini, or will there be a DA in there somewhere?

Jim C.


Offline xcortes

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Reply #2 on: March 28, 2011, 04:11:14 PM
What's the headphone lineup?

Xavier Cortes


Offline Armaegis

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Reply #3 on: March 28, 2011, 04:24:35 PM
I spy with my little eye...
#1: AKG K1000
#2: ?
#3: Sennheiser 580/600/650
#4: ?
#5: ?

and at the top... I'm guessing the prototype headphone that Doc is making?



Online Doc B.

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Reply #4 on: March 28, 2011, 04:39:17 PM
We have a little distribution box we use for Head-Fi demos with my BottleNagra, that can handle three amps with their own attenuators plus the Paramounts driving the AKG K1000s. For now I will run a PPC Mac Mini into an EMU 0404 USB and that will feed the distribution box. There is a slightly newer and more powerful Intel Mini up in the main listening room TOSLINKed to the Bottlehead DAC prototype, that has a 2TB external drive attached that contains the library we have been slowly ripping my digital collection to. We've all been digging that fact that we can stream anything off the 2TB drive on any of our workstations and we'll do the same with the Headphone Mini. And of course we can always plug a tape source into the box instead of digital. The headphone lineup shown is purely to fill some of the case up: AKG K1000s, my trusty, worn PX-200s that have probably jogged several hundred miles with me, my HD-600s with the Bottlehead/Cardas cable, some Skullcandy Aviators and some inexpensive HD202s. I want to have headphones from a range of prices and manufacturers available, and the collection will no doubt grow over time.

By the way, I am posting this from an HP Mini 1000 netbook that I just changed over from XP to Ubuntu Netbook. We have found that we need a very virus resistant 'puter for general household duty, and the XP install on this box got totalled a couple weeks ago. Apparently HP worked pretty closely with the Ubuntu folks and the Mini 1000 runs really quick and clean with this distro so far.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline Maxwell_E

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Reply #5 on: March 28, 2011, 04:49:05 PM
This picture is straight-up beautiful. I am really looking forward to my visit home this May. I'll definitely have some time to come by the new HQ and see whats going on, and hopefully listen to this amazing wall of sound. Things have been crazy lately, and I'm just counting the days until I move one of my guitar amps to fund my next foray into the Bottlehead world. I'm just waiting to get lost in it all over again.

Max Tomlinson
SEX amp, Tode guitar amp


Offline ironbut

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Reply #6 on: March 30, 2011, 07:24:18 AM
Looks great!
I really like the black shelves and the accent lighting.

steve koto


Offline xcortes

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Reply #7 on: April 03, 2011, 04:24:52 AM
Doc,

how are you connecting the K1000s to the Paramounts?

Xavier Cortes


Online Doc B.

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Reply #8 on: April 03, 2011, 06:46:10 AM
Good question. The previous owner had hacked the connector from the end of the cable, so I just have bare wires to work with. So far I have just been inserting those in the Paramount binding posts. The intention is to terminate them with banana plugs, but I haven't gotten around to it.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline Cary

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Reply #9 on: April 03, 2011, 04:51:42 PM
Love the Herman Miller Aeron chairs!



Online Doc B.

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Reply #10 on: April 03, 2011, 05:00:24 PM
Thanks Cary. I got a set of four, for a screaming deal from a local business that was "downsizing". They have turned out to be really great chairs for listening.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Online Doc B.

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Reply #11 on: May 06, 2011, 12:36:28 PM
Just an update - we've been building cables to complete hooking up this setup and I just did our first demo for a visitor today using the BottleNagra tape machine and Tape Project tapes as source. Should have the entire setup running in a few more days. If you would like to come by and have a listen give us a call at 206-451-4275. Be sure to bring your favorite headphones.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.